Machinery for shearing or cutting metallic plates or sheets, &amp;c.



No. 629,532. Patented Juiy 25, E899.

- H. s. moms. MACHINERY FOB SHEAFHNG 0R SUTT'ING METALLIC PLATES ORSHEETS. 8w.

(Application med Aug. 25, 1898.) I

(No Model.) I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z nvenZar,-

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N0. 629,532. 7 Patented July 25; I899.

w H. S. THOMAS. MACHINERY FOR SHEABING 0R CUTTING METALLIC PLATES 0RSHEETS, 8w.

(Application mdgu n 25, 1898.) 6N0 Model.) 4 SheeIv-Shefii 2.

/ v a) r- 6 1: Jim 3 I I I WZZMSSQS I JIZUnl07- No; 629,532. PatentedJuly 25, I899.

v H. S. moms.

MACHINERY FOR SHEARING UR CUTTING METALLIC PLATES 0R SHEETS, &c.

(Application filed Aug. 25, 1898.)

(No Hodel.) 4 Sheets-Sheet .4.

Wzbwssas f M Kay/(2w Ni'iED STATES ncn'an'r s'PENon THOMAS, or LYDBROOK,ENGLAND.

MACHINERY FOR SHEARING OR CUTTiNG METALLIC PLATES 0R SHEETS, do.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 629,532, dated July 25,1899.

Application filed August 25, 1898. Serial No. 689,506. (No model.)

Be it known that Lllosnnr SPENCE THOMAS, a subject of the Queen of.Great Britain, rcsiding at Lydbrook, in the county of Gloucestor,England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Machinery forShearing or Cutting Metallic Plates or Sheets and for other {LikePurposes, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention consists of theimprovements hereinafter described inmachinery for shearing or cutting rolled black plates and other likemetallic plates into sheets or pieces and for other like purposes; andmy said invention has for its object to e'lfect the cutting of all thesides but one of the sheets or pieces at one operation.

I wish it to be understood that by shearing or cutting I include thecutting operation commonly called punching.

My invention is especially useful in the dividing of black plates intosheets or pieces to be used in the manufactureof tin plates and otherlike metal-coated plates.

I will describe my invention in connection with the shearing or cuttingof a black-plate into rectangular sheets or plates.

In constructing a shearing-machine according to my invention I arrangeand fix on the bed or table of the machine a series of three knives orshearing-blades, the cutting edges of which are upturned and presentedinward. One of the said knives, whiclrI will hereinafter call the frontknife, is preferably parallel with the front of the machine, and theother or side knives are arranged at the rear of the said front knifeand prefer-- ably at right angles thereto.

The side parallel knives are adjustable on the bed or table of themachine, so as to fit them to out sheets of varying width, I employ inconjunction with the said fixed knives three upper movable knives havingtheir cutting edges downward and turned outward and adjusted so as tofit and work against the cutting edges of the lower or fixed knives. Thejunction of the upper side knives with the upper front knife may bebeveled or inclined, so that by adjusting the upper side knives withrespect to the upper front knife the adjustment of the width or distanceapart of the side knives knives the front irregular edge of the black- Yplate is removed, leaving two horns. at the opposite sides of the frontedge of the black-- plate. The black-plate, with its front edge thustrimmed, is advanced farther into the machine against fixed or movablestops, which determine the length of the sheet to be out. On the descentof the upper or movable knives a sheet is obtained from the black-platehaving its edges trimmed audits sides true or at right angles to eachother. The black-plate is further and similarlyop erated upon, so as toobtain a second and third sheet, until thewhole or nearly the whole ofthe black-plate is divided into sheets.

Although I have only described my invention in connection with theobtaining of rectangular sheets, I wishit to be understood that it maybe used for the obtaining of polygonal or other shaped sheets, and bythe use of curved-that is, concave, convex, or corrugatedknives it maybe used in the obtaining of sheets with curved sides and ends, pro-Vided in all cases the front and back edges of' the cut pieces areparallel. 7

Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying'drawings' 'epresent in front andside elevation, respectively, machinery for shearing or cutting metallicplates or sheets constructed according to my invention.- Fig. 3 is aplan of the table'of the machine,showing the lower knives in positionthereon; and Fig. 4 is a plan of under side of the upper shear-block andknives carried by the same. Fig. 5 illustrates a method by which thelength of the front knives may be adjusted applied to the upper frontknife, and Fig. 6 illustrates another or modified method by which thelength of the front knives may be adjusted applied to the lower frontknife.

The same letters of reference indicate the game parts in the severalfigures of the draw ngs.

a is the table or bed of the machine, and b is the upper movableshear-block. To the table a three knives or shear-blades a" a? aarebolt'ed, the inner or cutting edges of the said knives or bladeshaving in plan the outline of three sides'of the rectangular plates orsheets to be cut. The front knife a is fixed to and is situated,preferably, parallel with the front of the table a, and the side knivesa a. are adjustably fixed at right angles to the front knife a, thecutting edges of the three knives a a a being presented inward. At theback of the table a of the machine are adjustable stops 0 c.

The upper or movable shear-block b carries three knives or shear-blades6 Nb, the cutting edges of which are turned outward and work on thedescent of the shear-block b against the inwardly-turned cutting edgesof the lower knives a a a. It will be seen by an examination of Figs. 1and 2 that the cutting edges of the upper knives b b b are in- .clinedin the direction of their length to the lower knives, so as to effect onthe descent of the said upper knives a shearing action, the angle ofinclination of each of the said upper knives being preferably the sameas that of,

the bevel or rake necessary to be put on the edge of the adjacent knifeto form the cutting edge of the said adjacent knife. In other words, thecutting edge of each knife is preferably in the plane of the bevelorrake of the knife at right angles to it. The front corners of the upperknives are preferably lowest.

The action of the machine is as follows: The long rolled plate to bedivided into smaller plates or sheets has the irregular edge firstintroduced into the machine trimmed-that is, made straight-4n thefollowing manner: The said irregular edge is passed only so far into themachine that on the descent of the upper movable shear-block b and itsknives b b b a strip is removed from the plate extending nearly fromside to side of the said plate, a pair of horns being left at theopposite sides of the front straight edge thus produced. The plate isadvanced into the machine until the'said front straight edge bearsagainst the stops ,0 a, when by the descent of the upper movableshear-block b a plate or 'is cut, the operation being repeated until thewhole of the long rolled plate has been divided into smaller plates orsheets.

The side knives a a are ad j ustable-that is, are capable of being movedfrom or toward one another-so as to fit the machine to cut sheets ofvarying width, the front knife (t' being replaced by a knife of thelength do sired. The said adjustment of the side knives also permits ofcompensation for wear due to regrinding of the said knives, which isneeessary from time to time. Instead of replacing the front knife with aknife of greater length the said front knife may be divided-' that is,made in two or more parts, "as illnsas to force outward the two endparts to the The protruding part of the desired extent. middlewedge-piece is ground oil, so that its cutting edge forms a continuationof the cut- '-ting edges of the end parts, or the middle wedge-piece maybe removed and replaced by a wedge-piece of a greater or smaller size.

In Fig. 6 the front knife a. is divided by an inclined division at orabout its middle. By the sliding of the inclines of the two parts on oneanother the lengthening or shortening of the knife is'eifected, theprotruding part of one being ground oif, so as to bring the cuttingedges of both parts on the same level.

Where the sheets to be out are to have a polygonal figure -say, forexample, a hexagonal figure-five knives are employed on the table of themachine and on the shear-block in place of the three represented in thedrawings-that is to say, each series of knives or shear-blades is of anumber one less than the number of sides of the polygonal figure of thesheet to be cut, the said series of knives having an open-sided figurein, plan.

' Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. A machine for cutting plates or sheetsinto smaller plates or sheets, consisting of a bed or table, avertically-movable block, two series of knives fixed respectively to thebed or table and the block and a stop or stops on the bed or table forlimiting the distance to which the plate or sheet to be sheared or cutinto smaller plates or sheets can be fed into the machine, the cuttingedges of the said two series of knives having in plan a figurecorresponding to that of the plate or sheet to he cut excepting that oneof the sides of the said figure, namelyihat side at which the stop orstops are situated, is knifclcss or unprovided with a knife,substantially as described and shown.

2. A machine for shearing or cutting nn-- tallic and other plates orsheets llltu smzIllr-r plates or sheets consisting essentially of :1tabio and a rising-and-falling shear-block situated above the said tablethe said table and shear-block each carrying three knives orshear-blades so arranged that the cutting edges have a figure in plancorresponding to the front and side edges of the sheet to bev threeknives or shear-blades so arranged that on thedescent of the upperknives or shearbl'ades three sides of the rectangular sheet aresimultaneously cut the two side or parallel knives being adjustablesubstantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and shown.

45A machine for cutting or shearing metallic and other plates or sheetsinto smaller plates or sheets, consisting essentially of a fixed blockand a movable block each carrying three or a series of knives thecutting edges of which work against each'b'ther on the motion of themovable block the cutting edges of the knives of the movable block beinginclined lengthwise to the cutting edges of the knives of the fixedblock the angle of inclination of each knife of the movable block beingthe same as that of the bevel or rake necessary to be put on theadjoining knife to give to the said adjoining knife a cutting edge substantially as herein set forth and shown.

5. In a machine for cutting or shearing plates or sheets into smallerplates or sheets, the lengthwise extensible and contractible knives orshear-blades, each composed of a series of separate rigid sectionsadjustable relatively to one another to lengthen or shorten the knifecribed In testimony whereof I hereunto alfix my signature in presence oftwo witnesses.

HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS.

or blade, substantiailyas -\Viiniesses:

W. R. J ONES, ROBERT I. GREED.

